Performance Max campaigns have grow to be extremely common amongst PPC advertisers as a consequence of their automation and ease. Nonetheless, one constant ache level has been the shortage of visibility into search queries triggering advertisements. With out this knowledge, optimizing Performance Max campaigns has been restricted.
Aid appeared at hand when, in February 2023, Google launched the campaign_search_term_insight report, which features a subject with the search time period. Script builders, myself included, instantly constructed scripts and automations utilizing this new search phrases knowledge for Efficiency Max campaigns.
Nonetheless, regardless of what many scripts printed claimed, none included search time period knowledge; as an alternative, they had been restricted to class labels. This was as a consequence of a persistent error with the Google studies that refused to incorporate the search time period knowledge.
Because of Mike Rhodes for monitoring the Google studies and letting me know the bug was not too long ago resolved. Now that search phrases knowledge is lastly out there in scripts, I’ll clarify how you can entry search question knowledge, analyze it to seek out optimization alternatives and take motion based mostly on the findings.
What knowledge is now out there?
In February 2023, Google launched a brand new insights report solely for surfacing Efficiency Max search time period knowledge. This report offers visibility into:
- The precise search queries your advertisements appeared for.
- Search classes that queries are grouped into.
- Clicks, impressions and different efficiency metrics.
It doesn’t present visibility into value. Nonetheless, having the search phrases and clicks is a big step ahead.
Accessing the information
There are a number of methods to entry the brand new Efficiency Max search insights report:
- Immediately within the Google Adverts interface below Insights on the marketing campaign web page.
- Through the Google Adverts API.
- Utilizing a Google Adverts script that leverages the API report.

The advantage of utilizing a script is it may possibly robotically pull the information right into a spreadsheet for simpler manipulation and evaluation.
I’ve created a script that places the search phrases right into a spreadsheet. Merely go to this gist URL and replica the code.
Then, paste it into the Google Adverts Scripts interface. It’s going to then robotically pull search time period knowledge for all Efficiency Max campaigns right into a Google Sheet.
While you run the script, it provides the information to a spreadsheet like this:


The info availability is just like common search question studies, with a number of limitations:
- Information solely goes again to March 2023, when it was first launched.
- Search time period knowledge could also be sampled if the amount is excessive.
Nonetheless, this nonetheless offers considerably extra visibility than beforehand out there in Efficiency Max campaigns.
Analyzing the information
Now that you’ve got Efficiency Max search question knowledge pulled right into a spreadsheet, what insights are you able to achieve? Right here is a few evaluation you are able to do:
Determine irrelevant search phrases that set off your advertisements.
- Discover high-performing search phrases that drive conversions. Search for alternatives to optimize these phrases for extra quantity.
- Overview search classes for extra key phrase concepts which can be already working.
- Kind by impressions to seek out excessive impression, low click on phrases which will point out poor relevance and may benefit from higher advert artistic belongings like headlines and descriptions.
Primarily, you’re on the lookout for search time period patterns within the knowledge that inform you on optimizing the marketing campaign higher.
Since you’ll be able to’t goal particular key phrases in Efficiency Max, this isn’t about figuring out robust new key phrases so as to add. Nonetheless, you could find indicators for brand spanking new negatives and get concepts on how you can enhance advert copy or touchdown pages.
Get the every day e-newsletter search entrepreneurs depend on.
Utilizing GPT-4 to investigate the information
Within the yr it took Google to repair the bug and get the information working, GPT has come a good distance. So I downloaded the report generated by my script, uploaded the CSV to GPT-4 and requested if it may assist me discover optimization concepts.
I used the immediate:
- “I’ve a file that accommodates search phrases for my Google advertisements in Efficiency Max campaigns. Are you able to analyze the search phrases and share some attention-grabbing findings?”
It robotically used the openAI Code Interpreter functionality to scan the file, and it prompt 4 knowledge segments for additional investigation:
- Excessive-conversion phrases: Search phrases resulting in essentially the most conversions.
- Excessive-value phrases: Search phrases with the very best conversion worth.
- Effectivity metrics: Search phrases with the very best clicks-to-impressions ratio (CTR) and conversions-to-clicks ratio (conversion fee).
- Class and subcategory insights: Efficiency developments throughout totally different classes and subcategories.


It instantly went on to investigate the complete knowledge set I uploaded. Because it used Advanced Data Analysis (previously Code Interpreter), I may see the Python code it was utilizing.


Primarily based on this, I discovered that Google was exhibiting my advertisements lots for searches associated to “free promoting,” since I can’t assist with that, it gave me an amazing thought for a brand new account-level damaging key phrase.
Taking motion
Now that you simply’ve analyzed the Efficiency Max search time period knowledge, listed here are three actions I like to recommend taking:
- Add irrelevant phrases as account-level damaging key phrases. You can’t add damaging key phrases on the marketing campaign degree in Efficiency Max. Nonetheless, including irrelevant phrases as account negatives will forestall advertisements from exhibiting on these queries throughout your complete account.
- Optimize advertisements and touchdown pages for high-performing queries. Search for themes within the search phrases with excessive clicks and conversion charges. Then, improve your advert copy, gives and touchdown pages to raised goal these customers.
- Refine viewers focusing on with what you study. The search queries present perception into your splendid audiences. Search for demographic or curiosity patterns you’ll be able to add into your campaigns as viewers targets.
The script
Utilizing Efficiency Max search phrases to spice up PPC outcomes
The discharge of Efficiency Max search time period visibility has been a very long time coming. This knowledge lastly grants PPC advertisers extra management and optimization capacity for automated campaigns.
As a PPC professional, remember to faucet into this new functionality instantly. Comply with our steerage to entry and analyze the information, then take motion on the insights discovered. Over time, you’ll achieve a a lot clearer image of who your Efficiency Max advertisements are reaching and how you can enhance your messaging to resonate along with your viewers.
The consequence can be extra related advertisements, decrease prices and, most significantly, extra conversions out of your Efficiency Max campaigns.
Opinions expressed on this article are these of the visitor writer and never essentially Search Engine Land. Employees authors are listed here.